Play Date on Tuesday

Tuesday we attended Mass and then had some neighbor kids (who are home schooled) over to play while their mom went to the doctor. All the kids were really good, shared very well, and even used their manners. Most people would think I was insane for having 10 kids under the age of 9 in the house, but, hey one of them is still in utero. So it was a breeze!

Actually, my oldest daughter was a great help. She "played" school with some of the older kids for quite a while. It was rather rewarding to watch how patient she was while reading to the kids, asking them questions, praising them for their answers, and making everyone wait their turn. She'll be quite the good little mommy, or maybe a sister who teaches at a Catholic school, someday. I am so proud of the young lady she has become. She was quite the different little lady when still attending our local Catholic school.

Yet again, for those nay-sayers, here is an example of how well socialized home schooled children can be. Any other bunch of 9 kids, would never have played so well together, taking turns, sharing, being polite, and even asking if I needed help when lunch time rolled around. Seven of these kids are preschoolers or Kindergartners! Pretty amazing, I'd say. I think it is due to being socialized by adults (their parents) and the good example of their older siblings and not by a huge group of their peers. Large families can be such a blessing. The good example of the older kids goes a long way.

If you want to help your preschooler or Kindergartner, make sure to have an older sibling who is a good examples. So, I guess I am saying...have a large family (God willing), be sure to spoil the first child with lots of extra teaching time, tell him/her to be a good example to siblings, spend extra time praising him/her for being so grown-up, and then let him/her model that great behavior and lavish his/her affection upon the younger siblings.

Just a thought, I had. I didn't plan it that way, but it turned out to be what has happened in our family. I don't think I could have planned it any better if I tried. Funny how God always seems to know what He is doing even when we don't.